HEKS/EPER is making a difference in the «Social inclusion» in South Sudan

The 1982-2005 civil war destroyed most of the already scant infrastructure in the villages of Central Equatoria Province. Even today the population is not assured of basic services. HEKS/EPER therefore supports five local partner organizations in developing rural communities. HEKS/EPER is improving water supplies and sanitation, it runs literacy courses, vocational training and peacebuilding programmes and promotes organic farming as well as fish breeding and animal husbandry. Moreover, partner organizations are being empowered through continuing training programmes to liaise between civil society and authorities in order to secure fulfilment of the population's right to food, land, water, education, health and safety.

Facts

The civil war has produced more than 3.4 million refugees on the move.

In 2017 HEKS/EPER provided emergency aid for some 100000 people.

Ever more people are being excluded because of their social background, ethnicity, age, gender or religion. Integrating people with a migration background can be compounded, for example, by the lack of the requisite language proficiency, ignorance of Switzerland's cultural specificities or by disadvantages on the job market. HEKS/EPER works actively to ensure that the affected people have access to education, work, government programmes and services. But integration is incumbent on society as a whole, which calls for openness as well as regulatory structures that ensure the right of social participation for all. This implies that everyone has the same rights and opportunities and that features such as gender, age, social background, nationality or religion do not give rise to discrimination.